Why an Organized Home Starts With the Garage: Part II

The second reason why an organized home starts with the garage is the fact the only place you can store certain things is in the garage. Think about it – -what else in your home can only be stored in one place? There’s not much, is there. However, the garage is the only place for outdoor equipment, bikes, and motorized vehicles. Most organization gurus will tell you that the best place to begin home organization is in the place where you have the least amount of options — some things just HAVE to be stored there. When you start with the garage, you won’t get to the end of your home organization project and find yourself stuck all over again since you’ve left no place to store certain items.

If your home is starting to look like it should be featured on an episode of Hoarders, you need to start organizing with the garage. The first step of a garage-centered home organization project is to make a list of everything you need to store and where you want to or must store it. Your list should consist of large or important items and categories. For example, your list might read, in-part, “craft supplies, extra coffee table, and vacuum cleaner.” Next to each of these items, you’ll want to write the optimum place for storage. This way, you’ll know before you start to organize your home where you want everything to go. This will make the process easier — especially when you start with your garage, so you don’t have to move or get out all of your items at the same time.

The second step of the process is to actually clean up the garage itself. We all know how messy garages can get. If you’re going to do a garage-centered home organization, then you need to have a clean garage. This means cleaning and installing new flooring if need be, as well as cleaning up any oil spills or continually wet areas. Next, you must install some kind or organization system, like cabinets or shelves, to keep your items off the floor and orderly.

After these two steps are complete, you can begin to organize your home with the garage at the center. Using your list, start with putting the things that must go in the garage in the garage. With an organization system, however, you’ll soon realize that there is room for much more in the garage, including things like craft supplies and extra furniture.